The present embodiments relate to service wait time notification.
A service-related enterprise provides service to customers. The enterprise may be a restaurant, entertainment attraction, theme park, business, office, department, hair salon, clothing store, theater, or other service related organization. A customer may be required to wait a length of time before being served at the enterprise because of service related restraints, such as capacity, time, or limited assistance.
Customers want to know estimated wait times because the length of the wait may cause a potential customer to choose a different service enterprise or choose a different time to attend the enterprise. For example, a customer wanting to eat dinner may choose a restaurant based on the length of wait before being seated or receiving a meal. In an amusement park, customers have the option to select from different entertainment attractions. The customer may select an entertainment attraction based on the wait time before being able to ride the entertainment attraction.
Notification of an estimated wait time at a service enterprise is generally limited to direct contact with the service enterprise. To determine the estimated wait time before being served, a customer contacts the service enterprise and speaks with a representative, who estimates the wait time. The customer may also arrive at the service enterprise and estimates the wait time themselves. In either case, someone must be present at the enterprise and be willing to provide the estimated wait time. The amount of information about the estimated wait time is limited to the information available to the person making the estimation.